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Story:The Legend of Burwof
The Legend of Burwof is an old Vaikan legend about an ancient hero who protected the Khathic city of Getstadt from monsters. Chapter 1 Aggateya - the end of the earth as some call it. A land unlike any other in the world. The sun only shone during the summer months. The stars were the only light during the season of night. Every day, the eye of Brunikor would pass over and cast its blood-red reflection upon the frozen surface. The watching eye for the monsters that stalked these wastes. It was a cruel, inhospitable land. However, there was one particular light that shone amongst these dark lands in the realm of Khather. It was Getstadt, a great hall with two dragon statues at the door. It was a safe haven amongst the icy waste. All except the monsters were welcomed inside to stay for a good drink of mead. The people who built this hall were the Dorfs. These Vaikan had much larger builds than their bretheren from elsewhere. With long beards and hair, these were proud people. They were led by King Garhoth - the great Dorf that built this hall. Garhoth and his warriors lived in this hall. Tonight was perhaps the biggest celebration so far. An enemy army numbering in the thousands had marched from the west across the mountains and into Khather. Yet, Garhoth and his warriors defeated them using only a few hundred men. The warriors proposed a toast to Garhoth for his bravery. However, there was one threat that had constantly plagued the hall of Getstadt. This was no enemy spy. It was a monster - a Snow Demon named Dagrinel. A terrible, savage white-haired creature. Every night when Brunikor was the highest in the sky, Dagrinel would sneak into the hall and drive its claws into whoever he could. Dagrinel would always evade capture. He was too strong for any warrior to handle directly and was too sneaky to predict where he might show up next. Tonight would be no different for the monster. The warriors were too tired, and they already had their fill of mead. Dagrinel would feast again. As the soldiers were enjoying their mead, the door slowly opened and a great shadow took cover. The men drew their swords and searched. There was no sign of the monster. Descending from the shadows came Dagrinel who drove its claws into one of the soldier's chest to the shock of the soldiers. The men fruitlessly fought back, but they had drank too much mead. The monster had easily overpowered them slicing nearly all of them apart leaving only a handful alive. King Garhoth managed to escape to the upper floors and onto a balcony. He watched as Dagrinel scurried off into the wasteland - it would return in a few hours to feast once more. Every night that followed, Dagrinel would come back and feast on Garhoth's soldiers. For seven days, the monster came back. Getstadt was no longer a safe haven. It was just as hellish as the rest of the wasteland. But Garhoth had one last hope. "We must call for aid!" the king called to one his men. The soldier scurried to the highest point of Getstadt. Taking the deepest breathe he could, he blew into the Great Horn that sounded across all of Khather. Chapter 2 Garhoth watched from the top of Getstadt and laid his gaze upon the horizon - a great ship sailing from the island of Harlheim with a figurehead shaped like a roaring lion's head. As the ship docked with the land, Garhoth spotted a figure climbing to the top of a hill. This figure wore iron and fur armor and large boots with a helmet covering most of his face. He had long hair like a lion's mane and a short stubble. This was Burwof, the famed warrior of Halrheim. He raised a horn and blew into it responding to the sound of the Great Horn. Aid had come. Burwof made his way on foot, trudging through the dark, icy land and pushed open the doors to Getstadt. There, King Garhoth was waiting alongside several exhausted men. The great warrior took a knee and bowed once. "You have called for my aid, your majesty?" "There is a monster named Dagrinel that invades my halls every moonrise. His head mounted on my wall would make a fine decoration, would it not?" "Then slay this beast I shall," Burwof proclaimed. "Where will it strike first?" "It comes through the front door," Garhoth said, "But it is like a shadow. So sneaky and quiet until it is too late." "Then cautious I shall be!" Burwof replied. Even though Garhoth was confident in Burwof's skills, one of the king's advisors had his doubts. "Why must I think you are any better than other warriors already here?" the advisor asked. "I've slain many beasts," Burwof replied. "Armies of Snow Demons invaded the villages of Halrheim, and I slew them all. During my trip by sea, I was attacked by a group of Hydtox, the serpents of the sea. I cut off their heads and stored them in my ship's hull." "But you sound prideful," the advisor replied. "Dagrinel is no ordinary Snow Demon. He is cunning and sneaky. Why do you think we called for aid? You seem to only talk about your achievements." "Then I shall stop talking," Burwof said. "Let the beast come to these halls, and my actions will speak my words." The moon was rising once again. King Garhoth and his men hid upstairs while Burwof waited staring at the front door. "Come foul beast," Burwof said drawing his sword. "Are you afraid to fight?" The front door creeked open. The rushing wind blew out the candles and fires that warmed the hall. A shadowy claw reached through. Burwof waited patiently for the monster to come through the door, but it didn't seem to. The door closed again and all went quiet. The room was completely dark, free of color. Dagrinel's frightening visage of long teeth and glowing yellow eyes had appeared looming over Burwof's back. He turned around and swung his sword about to decapitate the monster, but narrowly missed. The beast swung its lumbering claw and knocked his sword out of his hand and landing into a wooden column. "Foul beast," Burwof said. "You want me to fight fairly with my raw strength? So be it!" Burwof dove forward and tackled the beast. The two were evenly matched try to shove one another to the ground. His face clenched while the beast opened its jaws. Just as Burwof was about to be overpowered, he felt a surge of strength and he shoved the beast to the ground stunning it. Burwof grabbed his sword, stuck in a wooden column and pulled. The beast got back up and raised its claws. Dagrinel was about to slice Burwof to pieces, but just in time, the warrior swung his sword striking the monster's neck. The head plopped to the ground and the body collapsed. Triumphant, Burwof lifted the monster's head to the air and shouted a war cry, alerting the king to his victory. Dagrinel was defeated. Chapter 3 Decades later, Burwof replace Garhoth as king. Getstadt had a population boom and soon enough, an entire village was built around the great mead hall. Snow Demons and other vile monsters would continue invading Getstadt though Burwof would always ward them off. He was the very embodiment of strength and honor. No monster could defeat him. However, in a dream came a ghostly orange and yellow apparition. This was a spirit of great hatred and malevolence. Its eyes glowed sinisterly like the moon, and its draconic visage was that of a fearsome Yoltox. "I am Morduin, brother of Krayhan," said the figure. "You may know me as the Lord of Monsters, bane of men and end of all things. I shall reign fire down upon these sunless lands as well as the green forests beyond the seas." "You are no different from any monster I've seen," Burwof said. "You cannot stop Burwof, king of the Dorfs, and successor of mighty Garhoth." "You speak with confidence. If you think you can stand up to me, prove your skill, Burwof of Halrheim," Morduin said. "Tomorrow during the hours before the sun sees these lands once more, I will come to your world in the shape of a Yoltox and invade your precious town of Getstadt." ---- All was quiet. There was a slight bit of snowfall, though the silence was broken soon by a flying, cawing crow. A child looked up to the sky and gazed upon what seemed to be an enormous eagle. As it drew closer, it became clear what the creature was. The child turned and rushed to the nearest bell tower and pulled the rope, sounding the alarm. A Yoltox was coming. Thatched roofed cottages begun catching aflame from the Yoltox's fiery breathe. Hearing the ringing bell and seeing the smoke from some of the houses, the villagers begun panicking and rushed southwards seeking shelter. The Yoltox drew closer and eventually landed on the ground. Even the guards ran, knowing they stood no chance against such a foe. Only one Vaikan did not run. Burwof stood, crunched his fists and drew his sword ready to confront the terrible that stood before him. "Morduin!" Burwof shouted. The Yoltox lifted its head to the sky letting out a roar. "Face me!" the creature spoke in a deadly voice. A ball of fire came jolting out of its mouth, but Burwof held up his metal shield which absorbed it. The creature bit downwards, though Burwof rolled out of the way and landed a hit. "You are fast for a mortal!" Then, Morduin took off into the skies once more, making his way to the mead hall. Burwof went into the opposite direction climbing a defense tower. From the tower, he watched as the beast spread flames over the mead hall that had stood for many decades. Carefully, Burwof drew a single arrow and knocked it onto his bow. He pulled the bow back, aimed, then let go. The arrow soared through the air like a bird with a lance at the end of its beak. The arrow plunged into the back of Morduin's neck . The Yoltox's attention was drawn. It turned around and flew over to the tower Burwof was inside. It swung its lumbering tale against the tower's base causing it to shake. Knowing that the tower was going to topple over, Burwof leaped out the window and managed to land on the Yoltox's scaly back. Burwof plunged his sword into Morduin's left wing, stabbing through one of the joints. The creature shrieked in pain. The monster shook him off leaving Burwof on the ground on his back. Morduin swiped at him leaving a claw mark across his chest. Blood began to spill out and Burwof was mortally injured. However, he persisted. "You will die along in the fires that will soon consume this world," Morduin said. As the monster reared his head up to deal the final blow, Burwof noticed a weakspot on the creature's juggular. Completely unprotected by the monster's tough scales. With his last breath and bit of energy, Burwof jabbed his sword into the Yoltox's neck. He promptly collapsed to the ground while the sword still remained lunged into Morduin's neck. Soon enough, the Yoltox burst into golden, shimmering flames as a spirit emerged from the burning corpse. "You fight well, but you have only defeated my avatar. Thousands of years from now, I shall return. And when I do, mortalkind shall be judged," the spirit said as it drifted into the air. The flaming remains of the beast soon cooled off leaving piles of treasure on the frozen ground. Burwof, who had witnessed his own great feat, had breathed his last. The citizens, returning from hiding, witnessed the site before them. They had mourned and mourned for the death of such a great hero. The treasure was not taken to the mead hall, but buried underneath the ground which it lay. A sculpture of Krayhan was created marking the location, while Burwof's body was put aboard a pyre ship. The sky slowly begun turning to gold with dawn. Summer had arrived. The ship sailed towards the slowly rising sun as a fiery arrow was shot at the ship setting it aflame and cremating the great king. The citizens watched as their hero's spirit ascended to the realm of Himinngarde, where he along with all other honorable soldiers would one day return to fight Morduin in a battle in heaven. Category:Articles by User:Krayfish Category:Vaikan legends